Paper Wishes
by KagamineKagami
Summary: The Rikkai regulars make a thousand cranes. Their wish? Yukimura's recovery. But is it killing them?
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by the thousand cranes I'm making. -Rin**

Paper Wishes

Even since Yukimura Seiichi had collapsed in October and been hospitalized, his teammates had been wishing for his speedy recovery. The youngest of them, Kirihara Akaya, suggested that they make one thousand paper cranes together.

He'd read online that if you make a thousand cranes, you get a wish granted. Well, they had a wish. Now all they needed was paper to fold. Yanagi Renji found instructions for making the cranes in a book, and they all sat down together after practice one day and started folding.

After an hour, they had a large pile of cranes in the middle of their little circle. Someone boxed them up and they stored them away in the locker room.

They all felt more tired than they usually did after practice, but they blamed Sanada Genichiro, saying he made them work harder than they usually did. They all went to bed early that night.

The next day they repeated the process. After a week of staying after practice to make cranes, Akaya did some more reading online, and consulted Renji over the weekend. They reported their findings on Monday.

"Guys, I think we need to talk." Akaya spoke to the group before they started making cranes. They all looked at him, waiting to hear more.

"We were all wondering why we've been so tired, right?" They nodded, and he continued.

"I did some research. Renji helped. But you know how you have to blow into the hole in the bottom of the crane to make it...not flat?" Again they nodded.

"Well, I think we've been putting a little of our life force into each crane when we did that." He paused to let that sink in, searching for the right words to continue. Renji saw his hesitation and stepped in.

"I believe we've been shorting our remaining lifespan every time we made a crane and blew into it. I couldn't say how much time each one takes from us, but my research suggested that those who make cranes in large numbers feel tired at first, but they get used to it. So if we continue, we will too. The question is...should we? If we stop now, we won't have done much harm to ourselves. But we won't get our wish."

Sanada stood. "I'm still going to make cranes. I'm willing to trade a piece of my life to save Seiichi's."

One by one, the others agreed. And that was how the regulars of Rikkai began killing themselves slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Akaya spoke to the group again.

"Um, Renji and I were thinking about how we should divide the cranes. If we did it evenly, it'd be...uh..."

"142.8571428571429. Rounded to whole numbers, that's 142 for each of us and 6 extras." Renji supplied.

"Right. That. Anyway...I think I should make more than you, sempai. I have more life to give, since I'm younger." The room filled with chatter and yelling, until Sanada himself yelled.

They fell silent in the wake of the loud 'tarundoru'.

"We can divide them evenly, and I'll make the extras." Sanada spoke firmly. Everyone immediately began arguing.

"But, Fukubuchou, you guys have been so tired since we started this. Marui almost lost to a second year yesterday!" Akaya looked close to tears. Marui looked at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"We're the regulars, we're supposed to be the best. And you're my sempai, you should be the best of the best. But right now you're not. You can't be. You're giving all your energy to the cranes! And I...I can't play my best if you can't, sempai. I need you." He fell silent, looking at his shoes.

"Akaya..." Marui got up and threw his arms around the baby of the team. Niou and Jackal followed, and soon they were all hugging him. From somewhere in the middle of the pile of yellow, a small sniffle was heard. Sanada, on the edge of the group hug, spoke softly.

"We can set a maximum number of cranes to make every day, so we won't be so tired. Would that be better?" Akaya nodded before realizing Sanada couldn't see him.

"Mmhmm."

"Good." He held on a moment longer before letting go. "Don't forget that we're going to visit Seiichi on Friday. And I don't want anyone to tell him we're making the cranes. It'd only worry him."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Friday came sooner than they'd thought, and at last it was time to go and visit their captain. Sanada reminded the team as they went in not to mention the cranes. The receptionist knew them from their frequent visits, and quickly printed out their visitor passes.

They made their way down the clean white hallways to Yukimura's room. Sanada knocked thrice and they went in. Their captain was sitting in bed, propped up with pillows. He smiled when he saw them.

"Hello, Seiichi." Sanada closed the door behind them. "We brought fresh flowers."

"Thank you." Yukimura accepted the bouquet from Marui. They were carnations died yellow and black, the Rikkai school colors. It had been Akaya's idea, and he told his captain so. Loudly.

"Thank you, Akaya." Sanada had taken the vase of old flowers to the bathroom and filled it with fresh water after throwing the dead roses away. Yukimura handed him the carnations as he passed by, and Sanada arranged them in their vase and set it back on the windowsill where it belonged.

"How has practice been going?" Yukimura folded his hands in his lap and sat expectantly. Marui grinned.

"I'm still a genius. Niou's still causing trouble." Niou glared at Marui.

"You said you wouldn't tell him."

"I didn't tell him, I just said you've been causing trouble. Nothing special about that." Yukimura raised an eyebrow. Niou groaned, and knowing he'd be found out one way or another, decided to tell Yukimura and hope for a lesser sentence.

"Well, y'see, Buchou, there was this chemistry assignment. And our homework was to observe a chemical reaction." Yagyuu sighed, knowing where the story was going. Niou glanced over at him and continued.

"So I thought I'd help everyone out, and-"

"Long story short, he set off a stink bomb in the football locker room." Marui finished for him. Yukimura frowned.

"Niou, what am I going to do with you?" Niou held up his hands in protest.

"They said tennis wasn't as manly as football. I couldn't just let that pass! Besides, it's not like they'll even notice the smell, it already stinks in there."

"Niou..." Yukimura sighed. "You're going to run until Sanada decides you've had enough punishment."

"Yes, Buchou."

"I won't make you help clean it up, though. They insulted our sport." Yukimura smiled at the trickster. He didn't approve of the method, but he was proud that Niou had defended them.

"Anything else I should know about?" Niou put an elbow on Akaya's head and leaned on him.

"Bakaya's serve is getting better." He spoke through a yawn. Yukimura smiled.

"Good. I can't wait to see it, Akaya." The baby of the team beamed proudly and shoved Niou's arm off of his head, going to his captain's bedside.

"I'm gonna be even better than you one day, Buchou!" Yukimura ruffled his hair.

"Maybe you will. But you'll have to work hard."

"I will!" Akaya was happy as long as Yukimura was proud of him. But he had to wonder, what would the captain say if he knew about the cranes?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Rikkai regulars continued making cranes in the next few weeks, visiting Yukimura often. But he was starting to get suspicious, what with all the yawning and little slip-ups.

Yukimura wasn't pleased that his team was hiding something from him, and he was determined to find out what it was. He went to the hospital's computer lab and logged in to Facebook.

He checked everyone's profiles, finding out that Jackal had a girlfriend, Sanada had recently polished his family rock, and Akaya _really_ needed help in English. Nothing to be suspicious of, until he got to Marui's page. There he found a video, with a few comments about cranes. This interested Yukimura, so he played the video. At first it only showed Marui's face while he talked.

"Hello, Internet! Look, we're making cranes!" Here the camera turned quickly, blurring everything until it was still again, pointed at the Rikkai regulars seated in a circle on the floor with a pile of paper cranes in the middle. Sanada looked up at the camera.

"Marui! Tarundoru! Turn that off!" The video ended. Marui had obviously obeyed.

Yukimura read the comments below the video. One in particular caught his eye. _Isn't making cranes dangerous? You shouldn't make too many. _Dangerous? Yukimura googled 'danger and paper cranes', finding a few forums and blogs that mentioned it.

His teammates were losing a bit of their life force with every crane they made, he found out. Why were they doing something so stupid? What wish could possibly be _that_ important?

Yukimura resolved to confront them.

When the team entered their captain's room on their next visit, they found him sitting cross-legged on top of the blankets of his bed with his hands folded in his lap, smiling like a snake that had just lured a rat into its lair.

"Welcome." They froze, sensing the aura of impending doom when Yukimura spoke. Before anyone could think about turning around and leaving, the Child of the Gods gave an order.

"Sit." They all knelt in seiza on the floor. Yukimura crossed his arms and got right to the point.

"I hear you've been making cranes." They all looked at each other, wondering how he had found out. Yukimura turned his gaze to Marui, who flinched, and the others knew it was his fault. Akaya glared at him. Sanada tried to explain.

"Seiichi, we-" Yukimura cut him off.

"All I want to know is why." The regulars glanced at one another, wondering how their all-knowing captain could be missing the most important piece of information. After a long period of silence, Niou spoke up.

"It was Akaya's idea. He wanted to do it for you, so you'd get better faster." Akaya sniffled, and Yukimura turned to look at him for a moment before resuming the interrogation.

"Were you aware that you were all shortening your lifespans?" They nodded.

"But..." Yukimura paused. "Why would you waste your lives on me?" Yukimura didn't think it was worth it for them to trade all their potential for him, a sickly captain who couldn't even be with his team at matches.

Akaya stood up suddenly, speaking too loudly for a hospital. "Buchou, you're important to us! We want you to come back as soon as possible, and we're willing to make sacrifices!"

A few tears fell from Yukimura's eyes, and he got up from the bed and hugged Akaya. When he released the boy he moved on to the next of his teammates, hugging everyone. Just as he threw his arms around Sanada, a nurse came into the room, summoned by the commotion.

"What's all this?" Yukimura smiled at her over Sanada's shoulder.

"Just a visit from the best team a captain could have." The nurse nodded in understanding and left, satisfied that no one was dying. Sanada and Yukimura stayed wrapped in their hug for a few moments before Yukimura broke the silence.

"Gen?" Sanada turned his head to look at Yukimura, still holding him. "Hm?"

"You're standing on my foot."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After that hospital visit, Yukimura gave them a strict limit on the number of cranes they could make in one day, and Sanada enforced it. Yukimura would ask about it every time he went to visit, and Sanada had never been able to lie to him.

At the same time, they stepped up their training in preparation for Nationals. And right now, with their law of no defeat, they thought themselves invincible.

Sanada made it clear that the loss of energy to the cranes was no excuse for failure, and they held onto their high standard of performance.

Meanwhile, Yukimura could only sit on his hospital bed and stare at his racket. He'd been allowed to keep it with him only if he promised not to use it. The doctors were afraid he might worsen his condition if he practiced at his usual level.

And so the once-proud captain of Rikkai stayed in bed, turning the grip of his beloved racket over in his hands, wishing he could guide his team to the Nationals in person.

But Yukimura would regain his pride with his ability to play, assuming his operation went well. The only day it could be scheduled was the day of the Regional finals, so he couldn't even watch his team play. There was a fifty-fifty chance of the operation being a success. Yukimura didn't want to think about the odds for very long; they didn't seem to be in his favor.

He was afraid. Even with all his skill on the court, he was only fourteen years old. But in much the same way that he commanded his team, he commanded himself, trying to believe he had no reason to be afraid. His teammates had promised to win the Regionals for him, and then once his operation was over, they would all go to Nationals together.

So for the sake of both his and his team's future, he would stay strong. Even when it was difficult. Even when Sanada sometimes seemed worried, or Yukimura wanted nothing more than to tell Sanada everything and cry on his shoulder, he didn't mention his fear. He simply told Sanada that he had to lead until Yukimura was out of the hospital, and that wasn't open for debate.

Rikkai would win, Yukimura would recover quickly, and they would go dominate Nationals together. That was the plan he told Sanada. But plans don't always work out as well in reality as they do in theory.

Sanada and Yukimura fought their own separate battles, but for the same reasons, and to reach the same goal in the end.


End file.
